Boy/girl bittersweet acoustic pop duo The Chain release their debut album via the fan-funded Pledgemusic service early next year. As a special treat all Pledgers will be able to order an exclusive download album featuring 12 of the pair's renowned Number 1 covers.
Ben Parker and Kate Aumonier undertook their number ones project over a year ago, learning and recording each week's number one and posting the result on YouTube in a transparent attempt to piggy back on the success of others.
This shameless maneuver, for which they have still not apologised, had Ben and Kate learning and performing a new song at short notice every week. Unless there wasn't a new number one that week, in which case they did something else.
The cynical ploy has been a tremendous success, with over 400,000 views of tracks like will'i'am's 'This Is Love', Flo-Rida's 'Good Feeling' and 'Sweet Nothing' by Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch.
Says Ben: “The real reason we've done this is so that I can become a super brand, rename myself ben.i.am and finally use the 'fine-detail' attachment on my beard trimmer. Kate loved the Florence + The Machine covers so much she's formed a side-project called Kate + The Uninsured Nissan Micra.”
Things Ben and Kate have learned in their year of covering the nation's number ones include, but are not limited to:
- Of the 36 new number ones this year, around half of them used the same four chords.
- An incredibly common lyrical theme is the use of bright shining light as a metaphor for youth.
- If you have committed to doing a year of number one covers, and you go to America, you will have to sing into a webcam.
For a timely reminder of 2012's musical highlights, you can watch all the number one covers here.
The full tracklisting for the 'Number One Covers' album is below (Ben went so far as to learn Korean for their rendition of Psy's monster hit 'Gangnam Style'. Kate learned the dance.)
'Number One Covers' full tracklisting is as follows:
This Is Love - Will.i.am feat. Eva Simons
Professor Green - Read All About It
Spectrum (Say My Name) - Florence + The Machine (Calvin Harris mix)
Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch
The Military Wives with Gareth Malone - Wherever You Are
Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin
Feel The Love - Rudimental feat. John Newman
David Guetta feat. Sia – Titanium
Beneath Your Beautiful - Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé
Flo Rida - Good Feeling
Cover Drive - Twilight
PSY - Gangnam Style
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